Anneliese Van Der Pol has claimed that racism was involved in the casting of her blockbuster show, That’s So Raven, by Disney.
Raven-Symone, 37, played the titular high school girl with a secret talent to see tiny pieces of the future in random visions on the famous comedy, which aired for four seasons between 2003 and 2007.
Raven’s Home, a spin-off series, started on the Disney Channel in 2017, with the sixth season now running.
Anneliese Van Der Pol, who played her closest friend Chelsea, revealed on the newest edition of the Vulnerable podcast that Disney had another actress in the starring role before altering things around.
‘When I went in to audition, the show was called Absolutely Psychic. It wasn’t called That’s So Raven at all,’ the 38-year-old said.
‘At the time, Raven wasn’t the lead. She was the sidekick. They were looking for a lead, I came in to audition for the lead.
‘I think the character’s name was Molly. I auditioned and a couple of other people auditioned, I didn’t get the part – someone else got the part.
‘When they filmed, they realized Raven was the funniest one and had a following, and so they bumped her up to first position. They started auditioning people again and I went into a big cattle call and I finally got the part.’
Reflecting on the show, Anneliese claimed that Disney never imagined having a Black female lead the sitcom before discovering Raven’s potential.
‘I think that was kind of racism at a low level — I guess if that’s even a possibility,’ she added.
‘They couldn’t really see a Black girl leading a show. They saw her as a sidekick.’
It is unknown who played the lead part prior to Raven’s promotion, but the show was a great success when it originally aired in 2003, bringing viewers to the chaotic world of the Baxter home.
Before releasing Raven’s Home in 2017, Disney revealed the spin-off Cory In The House.
